June 22, 2016

Orville Wright was piloting a plane that crashed causing the first airplane fatality. On September 17, 1908 during a demonstration flight, an aircraft flown by Orville Wright nose-dived into the ground from a height of approximately 75 feet, killing Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge who was a passenger. This was the first recorded airplane fatality in history. One of two propellers separated in flight, tearing loose the wires bracing the rudder and causing the loss of control of the aircraft. Orville Wright suffered a broken left thigh and several broken ribs but eventually recovered from his injuries. Selfridge, who was Secretary of the Aerial Experiment Association, suffered a crushed skull and died a short time later.